Mediterranean Islands Tour: Sicily Module May 10-21 & September 13-24, 2022
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38 Villa Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 Phone: 415-381-5861 ◆ Fax: 415-367-3081 [email protected] ◆ www.originalworld.com CST Permit #2057026-40 Mediterranean Islands Tour: Sicily Module May 10-21 & September 13-24, 2022 Taormina May 10/Sep 13 Day 1: Arrival Catania Met on arrival at the Catania airport and transfer approx. 50 min to the hotel in Siracusa. May 11/Sep 14 Day 2: Siracusa (Syracuse) (B,L) We will enjoy a full day tour here including the archaeological area. The central Archaeological Park Neapolis comprises the Roman Amphitheater, the Teatro Greco and the Orecchio di Dionisio, a limestone cave shaped like a human ear. The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi exhibits terracotta artifacts, Roman portraits and Old Testament scenes carved into white marble—currently closed. Alternate visits to: Ortigia and San Giovanni Catacombs. Return to the hotel. May 12/Sep 15 Day 3: Piazza Armerina-Agrigento (Porto Empedocle) (B,L) Depart at 8:30 am for the two hour drive to Piazza Armerina. Piazza Armerina, splendid art city woven into the heart of Sicily, boasts a slew of monuments that tell of its glorious past. Meanwhile, the apple of the citizens' eyes is the Villa Romana del Casale; originally the property of a powerful Roman family, it dates back to the 4th Century A.D. This majestic Imperial villa, standing tall in the Province of Enna (perhaps the most "Roman" of places on the Island), is a magnificent rural abode, fascinating, above all, for its captivating mosaics, considered the most beautiful and best-preserved of their kind. The fruits of meticulous labor, these precise yet moving images make for a significant adornment to what remains of this extravagant residence – made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The Villa Romana del Casale (trans. Roman Country Villa) in Piazza Armerina is considered to be one of the most important exemplars of an official governmental residence, attributed to the elaboration and exceptional beauty of its architectonic and decorative elements. Dated back to 320-350 A.D., the villa most likely belonged to a member of Rome’s senatorial class, probably a governor of the Eternal City itself (Praefectus Urbi). However, some scholars would maintain that the villa was built and eventually expanded upon the official commission of an Imperial functionary of a rather high order; they have identified this person to be Maximian, a Tetrarch (one of four co-Emperors) of Diocletian. Enjoy a simple lunch at a restaurant nearby. Afterwards, we continue 2.5 hr drive to Agrigento. Check into the hotel. Rest of afternoon/evening independent. May 13/Sep 16 Day 4: Agrigento Full Day Tour (B,L) Depart at 8:30 am for our full day tour of Agrigento. Agrigento is a hilltop city on Sicily's southwest shore. Founded in 581 B.C. by Greek, Rhodium-Cretan colonists, it become Akragas the following century, and was one of the most resplendent centers in the Mediterranean. For that reason, in 1997, UNESCO registered it as a world heritage site. We start with a visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples. We will see Temple of Concordia, the largest and best preserved Doric temple in Sicily; Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest Doric temple ever constructed although never completed; Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno Lacinia) aka Temple D, Greek temple built during the Archaic Doric period approx. 450 BC and Temple of Heracles located on a rocky spur near Villa Aurea, also built in the Archaic Doric style. We return to the modern city and enjoy a lunch break. After lunch, we venture to the modern city's outskirts to visit the Museo Archeologico Regionale 'Pietro Griffo.' The museum illustrates the story of ancient Agrigento and its territory, from the prehistoric to the Hellenization periods. The rich collection of historical finds includes the Telamon over 7 metres high, the Ephebe of Agrigento. Next to the museum, the medieval Church of S. Nicola containing the Sarcophagus of Phaedra (one of the maximum expressions of Roman sculpture in Sicily). Its lush garden awaits us for a cool break. Then we visit: The Cathedral of San Gerlando Founded towards the end of the XI century by Bishop Gerlando, it is in a Norman-Gothic style and is entered by a wide, gently sloping staircase flanked by a magnificent, unfinished XV century bell tower. The building houses the precious Cathedral Treasure, particularly rich in works of art. Let’s climb the bell tower to admire the roofs of Girgenti from above. Santa Maria dei Greci and Abbazia di Santo Spirito Along via di Santa Maria dei Greci we reach the church of the same name, in the Medieval town’s oldest district. Built in the XII century, its foundations stand on the base of a V century B.C. Doric Temple which some believe to be that of Athena, on the Acropolis of Akragas. Preceded by a small, elegant courtyard, the Church facade has a XIII century Arab-Norman portal and lovely mullioned windows. Inside it has three naves with a wooden ceiling and is enriched by what remains of XIV century frescos, a XVI century wooden statue and a sarcophagus holding the remains of a nobleman from Palermo. From the left-hand nave you enter the northern base of the Doric temple, of which some column tambours are still visible. Abbey of Santo Spirito. Built in 1260, the complex includes the church and the adjacent Cistercian monastery. Outside, the church has a magnificent Chiaramonte style portal surmounted by a rich rose window, in a more recent Baroque context. Inside, XVIII century, numerous Serpotta stuccoes decorating the church walls, a XVI century stoup, a Madonna by Gagini (or the Gagini school) and a 1758 wooden coffered ceiling containing the coat-of-arms of the Chiaramonte family. It was, in fact, the wife of Federico Chiaramonte, Marchisia Prefoglio, who made it possible for the complex to be built with a donation. The adjacent monastery, or Great Abbey, dated 1290, has a magnificent cloister with Gothic portals: one an imposing pointed arch flanked by mullioned windows, entrance to the Chapter House. Inside the Monastery has some XVI and XIX frescos. The monastery nuns prepare delicious almond and pistachio cakes, from a centuries-old recipe… possibility to taste them! Note: We don’t know if all the churches will be open. The guide will add other visits accordingly. May 14/Sep 17 Day 5: Selinunte-Mazara del Vallo (B,L) We depart at 8 am. After 20 min drive we stop to see the curious Scala dei Turchi. This white cliff is located along the stretch of sea between Realmonte and Porto Empedocle (Agrigento) and its rock is made of a soft, limestone and a blinding white marl. Nature has worked this material over time, making it soft and sinuous, with the help of the sea and the salty breeze, creating terraces and smoothing every corner. You ascend the “staircase” admiring the intense blue sea. Continue 1 hr 15 min to Selinute. On arrival we embark on a tour of the Greek archaeological site. Located on the southwest coast of Sicily, Selinunte is the largest archaeological site in Europe. On a par with pretty much anything found in Greece itself, Selinunte has lain abandoned for nearly 2,500 years, its numerous temples, its acropolis and its agora in dignified ruins. Once one of the most progressive and eminent cities in Magna Graecia, in 409 BC the Carthaginians launched a massive attack that turned the city into a pile of rubble. Located in a beautiful setting on a high plain overlooking the sea, it is flanked on both sides by golden beaches. After our visit we will have lunch and continue approx. 40 min drive to Mazara del Vallo. On arrival check in to hotel and rest of the day/evening independent. Mazara del Vallo sums up the character and history of the whole island! With the largest fishing fleet in Italy, a world famous Dancing Satyr netted from the sea, a labyrinthine North African Kasbah in the town centre and some delightful architecture, Mazara del Vallo offers a fascinating mix of culture, history, ethnicity and art. Mazara del Vallo (spelt Mazzara until the Second World War) was founded in the 9th century BC by the Phoenicians, who used it as a strategic emporium for their trans-Mediterranean trading interests. Floating along on the familiar tide of Sicilian History Mazara soon became part of Magna Graecia, when it served as a port for nearby Selinunte and then to the Romans during whose dominance, in the 3rd century AD, the town's most famous son, San Vito, was born. After a life of miracles, including curing Diocletian’s son of epilepsy, San Vito was martyred in Rome in 303 AD by the same, ungrateful Emperor. It was under the Arabs, who invaded in 827, however, that Mazara's potential was fully realized. Under their rule the town assumed an importance on the island second only to Palermo. Still today Meghrebian influences course through the town's streets, not least in the historic Kasbah quarter, where around 3,000 (mainly) Tunisians live, work and study. The Arabs developed the traditional maritime and commercial activities of Mazara, but also made it an important administrative, cultural and juridical centre. May 15/Sep 18 Day 6: Mazara del Vallo (B,L) Depart at 9 am for our tour. We start with a walking tour of Piazza della Repubblica the city’s central piazza.